Some links to products and partners on this website will earn an affiliate commission.

Direct air links between Manchester and Beijing resumed today (Monday 22^nd August 2022) for the first time since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Hainan Airlines has restarted its Beijing-Manchester service, with weekly arrivals and departures every Monday.

Chris Woodroofe, Managing Director of Manchester Airport, said:

“Prior to 2020, the Hainan service provided vital connectivity to one of the world’s most important economies and I am sure this news will be welcomed by the hundreds of thousands of people across the North who travel to and from China each year.”

The return of the route is also likely to be encouraging for the many UK universities across the airport’s catchment area that enrol thousands of Chinese students each year.

Due to ongoing strict quarantine protocols in China, the outbound service to Beijing will initially stop in the Chinese city of Dalian where passengers must quarantine for 7 days. However, the inbound service is direct from Beijing.

Hainan Airlines is 5-star Skytrax rated and will operate an A330 aircraft on the route, offering both Economy and Business Class. The flight arrives in Manchester at 10am each Monday and departs at 3pm. From October the service will operate on a Tuesday.

Bottom line

It is always good to see more long haul options from Manchester – this one being the UK’s only direct link to mainland China outside of London. That said, unless you really need to go to China, the quarantine policy is likely to put you off for the time being.